Lawrence died suddenly after being stricken playing basketball near his home

PAUL LAWRENCE, a respected NFL player agent who worked for major NFL player representation firm Maximum Sports Management and interacted with NFL players like Cardinals WR LARRY FITZGERALD, died suddenly yesterday. "He has passed," Maximum Sports Principal EUGENE PARKER confirmed in a very brief interview late last night. Lawrence, who was in his mid 40s, died suddenly after being stricken playing basketball near his home in Everett, Wash. The news sent shock waves through the agent community, where Lawrence was well-liked, despite the cutthroat culture of the business. The news spread through Twitter and many agents and others in the business tweeted condolences about his passing. "We are devastated by today's news and our hearts go out to Paul's family," Maximum Sports said in a statement. "Paul was an important part of the Maximum family and all of us will miss him dearly. His ability to work with our athletes and the relationships he built over the past decade has had a direct result in the success of our company. We will miss Paul's vision and his daily enthusiast approach in an industry where he had such a positive effect."